Funny Pagan Problems

Nerin

hey all,just starting this thread to see if anyone has ever had anything funny/odd happen or be said to them because of their beliefs.

i.e in school after i "came out" as a pagan in religion class,when i rubbed my eyes in tiredness a girl thought i was trying to curse her. lol

love to hear all your experiences,

Nerin

Suaimhneach

I don't find incidences like this funny, really. More of an ongoing challenge. Misconceptions are only entertaining for so long, if at all.

I suppose one of the most common ones are that all pagans need blood sacrifices, run around naked and like to hex people.

After a while, I find, it becomes tedious. And its really only safe to make jokes or pass comments when you can be 100% sure that the company will understand your light hearted intentions.

Nerin

dont we run around naked and sacrifice??
haha i was so relieved when i got to college and people weren't so foolish, although a few close fiends do ask the funniest questions, but usually its just funny banter between friends of different religious beliefs.
although,that one friend in high school who kept trying to convert me...:rolleyes:

Hivemind187

After reading a ton of stuff and eventually decideing that LaVey made the most sense (and before abandoning the dogma and ritualistic trappings of the system) I remember being asked by someone at school if I was a satan worshippper.

I basically couldnt have been bothered explaining so I said "Yes, and I drink chicken blood under the full moon" ... needless to say this got quite out of hand and ieventually I was taken aside for a "therapeutic chat" by the evangelical nut-case head of RE who wanted me to "stop saying you are a Satanist, its upsetting the other students".

I was suspended for two weeks for my reply.

Suaimhneach

See, thats not really funny, more its an example of how misrespresented and misunderstood the whole concept is.

Are you in an American school Hivemind187, or an Irish one? I am sure that if that happened in an Irish school there could be fuss kicked up!!

Hivemind187

Jesjes wrote: »

See, thats not really funny, more its an example of how misrespresented and misunderstood the whole concept is.

Are you in an American school Hivemind187, or an Irish one? I am sure that if that happened in an Irish school there could be fuss kicked up!!

Sadly no. It was an Irish school (PM me if you want the address).

In fact I was once dragged (physically) out of a classrom and shouted at "If you didnt want to believe in God you shouldnt have come to this school!". At the time I was angry, then I laughed about it quite a lot.

The teacher who did that still works there.

The RE teacher, I have ascertained, has "taken voluntary retirement to pursue other avenues" after freaking out in a classroom and screaming about gays and hell. I sh*t you not.

The problem is that many of the people in these positions are not merely closed to other ideas, but actually aggressive towards them.

Suaimhneach

Wow. Sounds like a bad teacher, but being suspended for two weeks over it... now I woulda kicked up hell about that. Sorry to hear it, anyway. At least you survived!

Hivemind187

Jesjes wrote: »

Wow. Sounds like a bad teacher, but being suspended for two weeks over it... now I woulda kicked up hell about that. Sorry to hear it, anyway. At least you survived!

I did. My faith in schooling however, did not - better than being burned at the stake for heresey though.

Besides, I was booted for my reaction (banned? heh) which was along the lines of a ten minute rant with some exceptionally creative expletives.

Nevyn

Jesjes wrote: »

Wow. Sounds like a bad teacher, but being suspended for two weeks over it... now I woulda kicked up hell about that. Sorry to hear it, anyway. At least you survived!

Unfortunately the school has the right to promote and defend it's religious ethos. A bunch of us got suspended after the women's information network
number was placed in all the 6th year class rooms along side the poster promoting Cura's fundraising fetus feet pins.

Really wearing a pin which was a metal model of the feet of a fetus at 12 weeks
talk about creepy.

Hivemind187

Thaedydal wrote: »

Unfortunately the school has the right to promote and defend it's religious ethos. A bunch of us got suspended after the women's information network
number was placed in all the 6th year class rooms along side the poster promoting Cura's fundraising fetus feet pins.

Really wearing a pin which was a metal model of the feet of a fetus at 12 weeks
talk about creepy.

LOL ... rofl ... sweet.

Nevyn

My kids are not christian and have had some funny run ins in school.
the youngest got given out to for sighing and exclaiming oh god! while doing maths and when she got taken to task for it said that she wasn't talking about the christian god cos he doesn't like that type of thing. So the teacher asked what god she was on about to be told that her favourite god is in fact a Goddess and she is called Khali and Khali is cool cos she is blue and rides a tiger and has swords and defends people.....

Needless to say both thier teachers have learned not to push things with my kids.

faceman

Howdy doody, first time poster here.

Firstly, I'm no pagan and will never be. However I do know what paganism is and what it isnt. (Ask most people and im sure "they worship the devil dont they?" is the answer you will get. (you have us christians to blame for that)

Anyway i was talking to a girl about religion the other day and i mentioned something about an individual and said "oh she's a pagan too". The girl gave me this look which suggested the cogs were turning in her head so i said:

"you know what a pagan is?"
She replied; "they're like the protestants arent they?"

Yes she was blonde. Anyway, what has been your experience of telling people your religious beliefs? I guess you must get alot of odd responses?

Shiminay

People tend to think I have some sort of mental deficiency when I say I'm Pagan, so I don't anymore. And you're right, we have the Christians to blame for that

I remember this time last year saying to my boss that I didn't mind working Christmas Eve/Day as long as I had the Solstice off. His attitude was less than impressive and he attempted to laugh off my request until I said "it's no more or less valid than believing that you should celebrate the birth of the son of your god." When he realised I wasn't joking and the penny dropped that he could have a lot of hot water for religious discrimination in the workplace he apologied.

The attitude from the general populace wouldn't be too far off what your blonde friend said though, people don't know and in most cases don't want to.

I've always thought that religion being taught the way it is in schools has a lot to answer for in that regards. I never got to learn about any other religions, only Catholocism and on rare occasions, why it was different from the "Prods" and their filthy ways (gotta love the open minds of people in the west of Ireland). Maybe it's different now, but I'd have suggested replacing Religion with Cultural studies and tie religious culture and practices into that.

Suaimhneach

Kharn wrote: »

People tend to think I have some sort of mental deficiency when I say I'm Pagan, so I don't anymore.

I'm pretty much in that boat too.

My belief is something thats personal to me, and when I express it I am met with ignorance and misconceptions. So, I tend not to express it.

Tho, that being said I have done things (TV for TG4 and radio for RnaG) directly related to Paganism/Celtic Spirituality. I made that decision after a discussion with my Dad. He basically said that if those barriers (ignorance and misconceptions etc) aren't ever broken down by a positive empowered person (not talking about me specifically here) then those misconceptions will continue to exist. So when I *do* talk about believing in a Celtic path, I tend to .... well. I tend to be me. Normal, adjusted, wearing not-all-black clothes. Try and convey that what I believe is just a different expression of something that isn't *that* weird... and that maybe even the listener/reader/viewer can relate to.

I think there will always be stupid people (regardless of religion or belief) and that that is the bigger problem.


[Edit] Is it just me or are there a lot of (okay, two) threads about "problems" Pagans encounter. Other one found here. [/edit]

Nevyn

faceman wrote: »

"you know what a pagan is?"
She replied; "they're like the protestants arent they?"

Anyone who is a follower of a non Abrahamic faith religion is pagan.
This includes more then what people think.

And then there are neo pagans which again is an umbrella term,
which covers eclectic paganism to wicca to asstru to celtic re constructionists.

faceman wrote: »

Yes she was blonde. Anyway, what has been your experience of telling people your religious beliefs? I guess you must get alot of odd responses?

Most people can't seem to get thier head around you not being firstly catholic and then christian because I am clearly irish.

Suaimhneach

AGH, merging confused Jess!!

Pagan being an umbrella term is also something that can cause hassle... But we all need our terms and our defining... *sigh*

scorplett

Personally I never really see the point of telling people that I am pagan.

I sometimes think it would be akin to saying "Hi, Im Scorplett, and Im an alcoholic!!!" At least the only time I have ever had to announce my religious beliefs, at the fainne moot years ago, thats how it felt.

Generally speaking it just doesn't come up in conversation. People who know me know my spiritual practices and usually thats enough. If they are curious they ask and of course I will respond. But there is already an understanding of who I am as a person before those conversations come up. On the rare occasion that I am asked, it is in context and with understanding already in place.

The greater part of my spiritual practices are intensely private and I don't share them easily without having first established a baseline understanding.